1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, a job execution method, and a job execution program, and more particularly to an image processing system having a function of executing a process collectively on a plurality of jobs, a job execution method, and a job execution program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, services provided by an external server, for example, SaaS (Software as a Service) can be used to perform processes that cannot be performed by a Multi-Function Peripheral (hereinafter referred to as “MFP”). On the other hand, execution of some processes by SaaS involves cost. There are a variety of billing methods, generally including a method of charging a fixed rate up to a certain usage amount and thereafter charging an additional fee per use, and a discount billing method of billing a discount rate when a large volume of processing is requested and the utilization rate is thus increased. Therefore, when using SaaS, the cost can be reduced by accumulating data up to a certain usage amount and requesting SaaS to execute processing on a plurality of accumulated data collectively rather than solely for each of plural pieces of data.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-103837 discloses a technique of executing a job at a timing when cost is low. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-103837 describes an image forming apparatus in which the total image output cost of all the image output jobs at any given time is calculated based on the processing time for all the target image output jobs stored in image information storing means and unit cost information calculated by cost information management means, and the time at which the total image output cost is cheapest is set as a print execution timing for each image output job.
However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, an image output job generated after the print execution timing is not executed until the subsequently set print execution timing. Therefore, although the cost can be reduced, the wait time is increased. In the case of using SaaS, if a process is executed using SaaS immediately after a certain usage amount is reached, data generated immediately afterward is not executed until a certain usage amount is reached next time, resulting in a longer wait time.